Internet access is an example of a service that can be provided by a service provider to its customers. In a typical scenario, the service provider creates an account for a given customer, including account credentials to be used when accessing the Internet. The service provider then ships a modem or other communication device to the customer and provides the customer with the account credentials; the service provider also records a hardware identifier of the modem in association with the customer. Upon receipt and installation of the modem by the customer, the modem is powered on, and the modem contacts service provider equipment at a default location (which may be hard coded in the modem). The service provider equipment recognizes the hardware identifier of the modem as being associated with the service provider. For security purposes, to confirm that the modem is indeed being operated by the customer, the service provider then requires the customer to enter the account credentials before allowing access to the Internet via a gateway, edge router or other form of switch.
One problem that plagues service providers is that customers are frequently inconvenienced by having to enter their account credentials when the modem is initially powered on or after every factory reset. In addition, it also happens that the service provider may send a replacement modem to the customer in response to the customer noticing that the modem that they had previously ordered did not yet arrive. In this case, when shipping the replacement modem, the service provider records the hardware identifier of the replacement modem in association with the customer. However, if the original modem is ultimately received by the customer before the replacement modem, and is installed, then when its hardware identifier is provided to the service provider equipment at the default location, this hardware identifier will not be recognized as being associated with the customer because the hardware identifier currently associated with the customer is the hardware identifier of the replacement modem. In short, the customer could be denied access to the Internet because the original modem was used instead of the replacement modem, which can lead to further frustration on the part of the customer, in fact adding to the frustration that may have led to a request for the replacement modem in the first place.
Thus, there exists a need in the industry to alleviate the above difficulties when regulating a customer's access to a public data network and maintain an accurate customer-to-modem association.